A 19-year-old Gothic novelist gives life to a monster, an outspoken feminist enters a winner-takes-all tennis match against the patriarchy, and a Jamaican-born New Wave icon becomes a “high-flying bitch”: these are the films of TIFF ’17 — and they’re all directed by women.

One-third (33.6%) of the films selected for the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival are directed by women, with an even higher number of female-identified short filmmakers at Festival (42.4%) and the director-driven Platform programme at gender parity. Films by women at Festival this year include the solo directorial debuts of actors Greta Gerwig, Brie Larson, and Molly Parker, as well as new work by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Dee Rees, and documentarians Alanis Obomsawin, Agnès Varda, and Jennifer Baichwal.

“By supporting female filmmakers, you can make sure the stories women are longing to hear are told truthfully,” says Share Her Journey ambassador Omoni Oboli. “Not only does it empower the filmmakers, but it also helps an audience to see the possibilities of women, instead of our limitations.”